Some medications can cause reactions or side effects that are worse than the original symptoms of the disease.

Patients with CFS are encouraged to maintain active social lives. Mild physical exercise may also be helpful. Your health care team will help you figure out how much activity you can do, and how to slowly increase your activity. Tips include:

Avoiding doing too much on days when you feel tired

Balancing your time between activity, rest, and sleep

Breaking big tasks into smaller, more manageable ones

Spreading out more challenging tasks throughout the week

Relaxation and stress-reduction techniques can help manage chronic pain and fatigue. They are not used as the primary treatment for CFS. Relaxation techniques include:

Biofeedback

Deep breathing exercises

Hypnosis

Massage therapy

Meditation

Muscle relaxation techniques

Yoga

Outlook (Prognosis)

The long-term outlook for patients with CFS varies and is difficult to predict when symptoms first start. Some patients completely recover after 6 months to a year.

Some patients never feel like they did before they developed CFS. Studies suggest that you are more likely to get better if you receive extensive rehabilitation.

Possible Complications

Depression

Inability to participate in work and social activities, which can lead to isolation

Side effects to medication or treatments

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you experience persistent, severe fatigue, with or without other symptoms of this disorder. Other more serious disorders can cause similar symptoms and should be ruled out.